UNSD SEEA-EEA revision 2020 Area 1: Spatial units; introduction Sjoerd Schenau, Patrick Bogaart, Edwin Horlings London group meeting, October 2018
Overview Spatial units in SEEA EEA Main revision issues Issue papers Members of the WG Timeframe
Spatial areas within SEEA-EEA delineate Ecosystem Assets - provide stocks and generate flows in accounting terms form the conceptual base for aggregation: - to (administrative) accounting units - over Ecosystem Types comprise relatively homogeneous combination of - Vegetation type, soil type, hydrology, geomorphology, climate - Land use, management, ownership etc. - Basket of ecosystem services generated 4
Main goal of research area 1 : spatial units To establish statistically and accounting relevant classifications for ecosystem types for SEEA EEA. 5
Main revision issues 1. Establish generic principles for defining ecosystem type classes. 2. Develop an international standard classification of ecosystem types for both terrestrial and marine areas, and integrate them. 3. Develop guidelines for urban or rural areas characterized by a mosaic of primary ecosystem types. 6
1. Establishing clear principles Build upon UNSD standards for classification 1. Consistent conceptual basis - Link to landscape-ecological theory - Link to socio-economic practice 2. Hierarchical structure - Implements flexibility, allows divergent user needs 3. Well-defined, mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories 4. Statistical balance 7
2. Develop a standard classification Take note of existing classifications. - Optimal outcome: build upon best existing elements, - while respecting our own framework / principles. Main discussion points: - Which are the core attributes (used for delineation) vs Auxiliary attributes (included in attribute table)? - How do we align with both SEEA-CF classifications (land cover and land use) and local land-related classifications? - How do we link with atmospheric units? 8
Inventory of international and national classifications of land use, land cover, ecosystem types Land cover Land cover classification SEEA EEA CF (Annex C, p. 299) FAO, Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) CORINE Land Cover (CLC) EUNIS habitats classification Land use Land use classification (interim) SEEA EEA CF (Annex C, p. 289-299) FAO, World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020, Classification of land use (LU) for the agricultural census FAO, Indicative Crop Classification, Ecosystem types EEA, Ecosystem types of Europe, which combines the Corine based MAES ecosystem classes with the non-spatial EUNIS habitat classification MAES, Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) Sayre et al. (2014) 9
Link with atmosphere and marine ecosystems Source: Sayre et al. (2014), p. 8, after Bailey (1996). 10
3. Dealing with urban and rural areas How to deal with land characterized by spatial mosaic of elementary ecosystem types? 11
3. Dealing with urban and rural areas Characterized by spatial mosaic of elementary ET How to include in classification? - Urban, rural, nature areas could be seen as an additional layer? - Or include in ecosystem type hierarchy? - Mark using special attributes? How to operationalize? - Delineation rules for urban & rural areas 12
Issue papers Discussion paper 1.1: Conceptual base for classification of ecosystem types for ecosystem accounting Discussion paper 1.2: Review of existing classification schemes for ecosystem types Discussion paper 1.3: Proposed hierarchical classifications schemes for terrestrial, wetlands, freshwater, coastal and oceanic ecosystems Discussion paper 1.4: Delineation of urban areas for ecosystem accounting Discussion paper 1.5: Describing the spatial connection between ecosystem types and the atmosphere and the marine environment 13
Members of WG 1 Sjoerd Schenau (Area Lead), Edwin Horlings, Patrick Bogaart (Statistics Netherlands) Roger Sayre (USGS) Francois Soulard (Statistics Canada) David Keith, Carlos Zambrana (IUCN) Keith Gaddis (NASA) Doug Muchoney, Francesco Tubiello (FAO) Trond Larsen (Conservation International) Jessica Chan (UNSD) 14
Timeframe Month Milestones Deliverables April 2018 Start of work May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 Final set of issues to be determined following discussion at Expert Forum Short 2-5 page note containing extensive clarification and description of the revision issues first drafts of work program and plans Final draft work program First draft issue papers 1 and 2 August 2018 September 2018 Revised issue papers 1 and 2 October 2018 Discussion at the London Group First draft issue paper 5 meeting November 2018 Face to face meeting of WG1 in Paris First draft issue paper 3 with options to be discussed December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 April 2019 Second Forum of Experts on Ecosystem Accounting Issue papers 1-5 ready 15
Thank you for your attention! 16